Tag: paleo

It’s that time of yearrrrrr. It’s officially October, my birthday is this week, AND it’s pumpkin season. I think I like pumpkin things so much since I already have an innate affinity for cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves (and ginger and allspice I suppose). I’ve been meaning to try my own Pumpkin Spice Creamer, but I would’ve never thought to make it with coconut milk because I would’ve thought the coconut to be overpowering. Well, it’s not and Amanda at Running with Spoons is genius. Plus, it’s paleo, dairy-free and refined sugar free since it uses dates to naturally sweeten. This creamer pairs well with a cinnamon coffee or try it plain. It adds the flavor, but I will added half my usual serving of plain cream to my coffee to cut the bitterness. So easy and a sure way to use up some pumpkin purée.

I think I found my new cheat brownie recipe. These Five Ingredient Protein Brownies grain free, contains no refined sugar and has a bit o’ protein. Plus it hits the spot when you want a brownie without having a real brownie, so it’s like a guilownie — a “guilt-free brownie” obviously. I’ve really enjoyed making protein muffins lately, so I thought why not try something similar with desserts?

Mustard Salmon with Roasted Veggies is such a great and quick mid-week dinner. This recipe will be added to the rotating arsenal. I saw a video for this on Facebook from Eating Well. It looked so easy and simple to make that I just had to try it. Since I don’t have a spice grinder and didn’t feel like buying more spices, I tried a marinade that our family friend, Maura, whisked together when we were in Florida. Just EVOO, Jack Daniel’s whole grain dijon mustard (soooo much flavor) and lemon juice. Asparagus, sweet potatoes and salmon are baked in the oven while you poach an egg. While you can skip the egg to make this a true “one pan” dinner, the yolk adds some saucy texture and more protein overall.

Some mornings, you just neeeeeeed pancakes for breakfast. And on some of those mornings, you need the easiest pancakes ever for breakfast — ones with just bananas and eggs. I usually make my Banana Oat Pancakes when I’m in the pancake mood, but I’ve been curious to try something simpler. Hence the genesis of Paleo Banana Pancakes. I whisked together very ripe bananas, eggs and egg whites. (I have used just 2 eggs, but liked the flavor for the second batch with an egg/egg white mix. You can also put the ingredient in a small food processor or blender if you really want a smooooooth batter.) Topped with some PB2 and maple syrup, these pancakes just hit the spot.

So I’m finally testing out my inspiralizer from William Sonoma that I got for Christmas. First thing I tried? Purple cabbage. Ambitious, I know. While not perfectly spiralized, the cabbage came out in thinner strips than I would’ve been able to chop and much longer than if I used a food processor. The cabbage was mesmerizing and has the coolest designs, in case you were wondering because I know you were. Gimme Some Oven came out with this Detox Salad after New Years. While it is DELISH and I’m obsessed with the dressing, I made it a bit hardier so it would more of a meal and less of a side. The Carrot Ginger Dressing is sweet, tangy, sour and so flavorful. I’m in love with the red cabbage in the bowls. It’s much more tender and benign when spiralized. I’m also just extremely biased to chopped salads and this Rainbow Detox Veggie Bowl is no exception. It’s almost too pretty to eat. (But actually eat it because it’s delicious.)

This dip is light and refreshing. Originally a Greek yogurt dip, tzatziki is traditionally made with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, sometime lemon juice and fresh herbs like mint, dill, parsley or thyme. It can be used to top gyros, burgers, falafels, salads, “bowls” (see photo below) or a standalone dish. Clearly I took a non-traditional route, swapping avocado for yogurt as the base. I also used mint instead of dill and want to try this again with equal proportions to be more versatile. Even with the “lightened up” swaps, Avocado Tzatziki is still light, so fluffy and especially tasty. I’ve been dipping away with Kashi pita chips and 7 grain crackers, baby carrots and cucumber sticks.

Happy meatless Monday! I’ve been a little absent with school this past semester. Since we have one less class and one less clinical day, I hope to get more things written up and posted that I’ve already added to Instagram. To kick things off, here’s Vegetarian Sweet Potato “Spaghetti” using sweet potato noodles as the base. What an easy meal to whip together — sauté some veggies, open a can of beans, toss in the noodles and top with sauce. Now that I have a heartier spiralizer (thanks to the Inspiralizer from William Sonoma), I can’t wait to try making these at home!

Happy Meatless Monday! Here’s a breakfast to satisfy all of your cravings: Cilantro Sweet Potato Hash. Brunch might be my favorite meal; it can be sweet and savory, hearty or light, multi-dish or simplistically plated — there’s just so many possibilities. A few weeks ago, I had a sweet potato bison (yes, bison) hash for brunch in Boston. It was sweet and savory, but also totally decadent and fatty. I wanted to recreate a hash in a nontraditional and also a faster way. Microwaving the sweet potato is much faster than roasting in the oven and the sweet potato still ends up deliciously browned with the onions. Instead of baking the egg directly in the hash, fry it separately and top the hash. All in all, you have a healthy, colorfully tasty and aesthetically pleasing breakfast that comes together in about 10 min. Enjoy!

It’s that time of year. If you’re like me and in the Northeast, you probably got some snow today. Toss in the time change with early darkness, and you’re in need of a hearty, cold-weather meal. I don’t think turkey is as flavorful as beef, but adding the fresh basil and red pepper brings the turkey meatballs to a whole new level. Make a large batch to freeze or plan meals ahead, place the meatballs over spaghetti squash, zoodles or whole-wheat pasta, and you have a lovely meal. I enjoyed my turkey meatballs over spaghetti squash, sautéed cherry tomatoes and zucchini, and a spicy marinara sauce. Top with fresh basil and parmesan and just how can you say no?Continue reading “Tasty Turkey Meatballs”→